hartmanneblog.files.wordpress.com€¦ · Web view) by typing your responses within the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Commentary pages exceeding

Secondary Science for Washington Task 3: Assessment Commentary

Copyright © 2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.

1 of 2 | 12 pages maximum

V4_0914The edTPA trademarks are owned by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. Use of the edTPA trademarks is permitted only pursuant to the terms of a written license agreement.

TASK 3: ASSESSMENT COMMENTARY - For use with EDU 6172 CLASS ASSIGNMENT

1. Analyzing Student Learninga. Identify the specific learning targets and standards measured by the assessment

you chose for analysis.

[ The assessment chosen for analysis from the lesson sequence is a written lab worksheet that was submitted after students completed the lab and worksheet in class. The worksheet is included at the end of the commentary.

The assessment is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards MS-ESS2-5 and MS-ESS2-6 which state “collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions” and “develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates” (Next Generation Science Standards, 2013).

My learning targets for this lesson were: “I will be able to identify areas of high and low air pressure and demonstrate how it can create wind through constructing a circuit with high and low pressure areas” and “I will practice components of a lab report by completing the lab worksheet.”

The learning targets have three main points: identifying high and low air pressure, creating a circuit of high and low air pressure, and completing the lab worksheet as practice for a lab report.

To accomplish the learning target, students first learned about air pressure through a demonstration in which an inflated balloon was shown to weigh more than a non-inflated balloon. Following the demonstration, students participated in an activity in which each student represented a molecule of air. They congregated in a small space and continued to bump into each other. When allowed to go into a larger space, students spread out without any instruction. This allowed for students to understand some basic principles of air pressure including that air will move from high-pressure areas to low-pressure areas. Following these activities, students participated in a laboratory experiment in which they set up two chambers with a candle and a bowl of ice, which were connected by chimneys. They then lit punk sticks and watched if and how the smoke moved within the system. ]

b. Provide a graphic (table or chart) or narrative that summarizes student learning for your whole class. Be sure to summarize student learning for all evaluation criteria submitted in Task 3, Part D.

[ ]

c. Provide a graphic (table or chart) or narrative that summarizes students’ understanding of their own learning progress (student voice).

[ Students were asked to assess their confidence in their ability to explain air pressure and how air pressure can affect weather at the top of their lab worksheet. Students used a

R

espond to the prompts below (no more than 12 single-spaced pages, including prompts) by typing your responses

within the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Commentary pages exceeding the maximum will not be scored. Attach the assessment you used to evaluate student performance (no more than 5 additional pages) to the end of this file. If you submit feedback as a video or audio clip and your comments to focus students cannot be clearly heard, attach transcriptions of your comments (no more than 2 additional pages) to the end of this file. These pages do not

R



R



R



R



R



R







10 point scale with 10 being 100% confidence. The focus students indicated that they felt relatively confident in their abilities noting a 10, 9, and 7. Based on conversations throughout the lab, their representations of their confidence are accurate. Though the focus students scored themselves as confident, some score suggest that they have some misconceptions. The focus students scored 4, 3.5, and 1.5 respectively on their assessment. Student 1 was very confident and her work shows a clear understanding of the learning target and information. Student 2 was also confident but similar to student 3, misunderstood where high and low pressure air was found in their circuit. Student 3 was the least confident in his abilities (giving himself a score of 7).

When reflecting on their work, students identified resources they could use to increase their confidence and knowledge as well as what misconceptions they may have had during the lab. These resources included their textbook, the teacher, online resources and their classmates.

The trend for the focus students (representing a range of responses within the class) was that all students possessed a superficial understanding of the circuit they created but may not understand the mechanisms behind it completely in regards to air pressure. For example, Student 2 said, “I get tripped up by thinking there were less [air molecules] above the ice because it was high air pressure and more above the candle because it floats away.” ]

d. Use evidence found in the 3 student work samples and student self-reflections, and the whole class summary, to analyze the patterns of learning for the whole class and differences for groups or individual learners relative to

conceptual understanding

use of scientific practices during inquiry AND evidence-based argument about a scientific phenomenon

[Conceptual understandingAll three of the focus students appear to have developed a basic conceptual

understanding of the content. After the lab and worksheets were scored, students were invited to reflect on their work (the next class period). Their reflections include why they did well or what they did not understand well during the lab. They also included sources that they could use to help their understanding of the concepts.

Before the lab, all students demonstrated knowledge of convection currents and how convection currents are formed. Based on this knowledge, all of the focus students predicted that the smoke from their punk stick would sink down over the ice and move towards the candle and then exit the system through the candle’s chimney. Students were then able to describe what happened in the system, which fit with their hypothesis. However, Student 2 and Student 3, while understanding that hot air would rise and spread out over the candle, did not fully understand what that means for air pressure. Based on their reflections, it is clear that the concept that air pressure is lower with less dense, heated air was not clear. Instead, students believed that heated air would rise and create high-pressure areas. For example, Student 2 said, “I get tripped up by thinking there were less [air molecules] above the ice because it was high pressure and more above the candle because it floats away.” Similarly, Student 3 said, “I thought cold air was less dense.” While Student 2 and Student 3 did not quite grasp the concept at first, they were able to use concepts of density in their explanations.

Despite a misunderstanding of high and low pressure, Student 3 was the only student to recognize that the air movement that he observed would translate to wind in our weather

Consider what students understand and do well, and where they continue to struggle

(e.g., common errors, confusions, need for greater challenge).Consider what students understand and do well, and where they continue to struggle






(e.g., common errors, confusions, need for greater challenge).





patterns. Student 1 appeared to have a solid conceptual understanding and was able to show

what the molecules above the candle and ice looked like by labeling them correctly using academic language. Student 1 incorporated “low air presser” and “high air pressure” into her work.

After reflecting, all three focus students were able to demonstrate a conceptual understanding of air pressure and by correctly labeling their drawing and explaining (verbally) how it connected to their diagram of their system. Use of scientific practices and inquiry

The focus of this lab was to explore how air interacts when heated or cooled and for students to construct a circuit in which they could label areas of high and low air pressure. Throughout this exploration students were required to record what they saw and make interpretations of their observations based on prior knowledge. Student 1 and Student 2 demonstrated good scientific practices by recording their materials, predictions and observations of the experiment. Their diagrams included arrows and labels to make them clear. They also included a description to accompany the diagram.

Student 3 struggled more with using scientific practices. Student 3 did not record much of the lab. He only listed one material (match) and while he made a prediction, it was not specific. His prediction was “cold would go down hot would go up.” While he was able to diagram what his circuit looked like, he neglected to give it a caption or any description to help the reader understand what was going on. Evidence based argument about a scientific phenomenon

The intent of the students recording their observations for what happens with the smoke was for them to apply what they had been talking about and demonstrating earlier in the class to their experiment. This did not happen as I thought it would. Although through conversations with the students I was able to understand their arguments for air movement based on air pressure, it did not come across on their lab worksheet. To better assess this information, I will need to be more specific in the questions or prompts I use in writing. Though some students were able to make the connection, my prompt was too vague for students to reliably make an evidence based argument about air movement. For example, instead of saying “using pictures and words, describe what happens to the smoke,” I should have specified for students to use air pressure in their answer. Student 1 demonstrates that she knew how air pressure played a role in the circuit by labeling above the ice and candle “high air pressure” and “low air pressure.” Student 2 also demonstrates some of that knowledge when she wrote “**high pressure air moves to low pressure air!**” on the back of her assignment. However, neither of these students constructed were able to use their observations to back up a claim about air movement. ]

2. Feedback to Guide Further LearningRefer to specific evidence of submitted feedback to support your explanations.

a. In what form did you submit your evidence of feedback for the 3 focus students? (Delete choices that do not apply.) Written directly on work samples or in a separate document;

b. Describe what you did to help each focus student understand his/her performance on the assessment.

[ To help each student understand his or her performance on the assessment I first scored their worksheet using a rubric presented in the beginning of class. Students had the opportunity to ask questions about the expectations before the lab and throughout class.





The rubric was posted in the classroom for students to look at.

Students’ worksheets were marked with a check (correct, full points) or an “x” (partial or no points) for each section of the rubric. I also boxed in directions that were overlooked to help students understand where they could have miss-stepped. For sections that did not receive full points, I wrote comments to help students understand what they could have done wrong. For example, on Student 2’s worksheet I wrote “it looks like you may have switched these” with an arrow indicating the work I was concerned about. I also wrote in questions to help guide students to figure out the correct response or a deeper response. For example, although Student 1 received all 4 points for the assignment, on her paper I wrote, “what happens here? What did we create?” Had she answered these questions, it would have taken her response to the next level. For students who did not receive full points, questions would get them back on track. For example, on Student 3’s response I wrote, “where did the smoke go? Why did it move like it did?” These questions served as a guide when students went back and reflected on their work. I also included comments that would help students understand the expectations. For Student 3, one of these comments included, “please be sure to list all of your materials!”

In addition to leaving questions and comments to help students understand when they did not receive full credit, I left comments and questions that could deepen correct responses and emphasize what students did well. Student 1 received the full 4 points for the assignment. On her worksheet I wrote, “great organization on this assignment! It is neat and easy to read. Continue to add details! The more the better in science.” This allows her to see some of her strengths while also enforcing what she needs to continue to work on in future assignments that she did well on this one. I also commented “yes! High air pressure would mean molecules are close together!” to emphasize the key concepts of the lesson that she correctly understood.

After the assessments were passed back, students had the opportunity to meet with me during their tutorial period and go over their work. During this time students were able to correct misconceptions. Following the tutorial period students reflected on their work and resubmitted it.

Although all students received comments aimed at having them continue to think about the content as well as celebrate their success and guide their corrections, I also attempted to tailor my comments to each student. Student 3 struggles with completing written work and turning in detailed, completed assignments. For his feedback, I was sure to include comments that would give him more confidence in his work and knowledge. For example, when he made the connection that the air movement in his system was wind, I circled it and wrote, “yes! This is key!” next to it. This gives him some affirmation that he does know some of the material and is capable of doing well on the assignment. With my other comments I try to show him how he can be more successful. ]

c. Explain how feedback provided to the 3 focus students addresses their individual strengths and needs relative to the standards/learning targets measured.

[Learning targets measured:

1. I will be able to identify areas of high and low air pressure and demonstrate how it can create wind through constructing a circuit with high and low pressure areas.

2. I will practice components of a lab report by completing the lab worksheet.”

Student 1 strengths and needs

Student 1 did very well on the assessment, scoring 4/4. Her strengths include her neat work, attention to detail, and her conceptual understanding and ability to make connections to earlier classwork. While she did very well on the assessment, she could add more detail and generally include more information in her answers. Unlike some





students, Student 1 consistently follows all directions in worksheets, homework and orally.

On this assessment my comments aimed to highlight Student 1’s strengths as well as encourage her to continue to add detail and exceed expectations. On Student 1’s worksheet I left a general comment that complemented her organization and the extra details she added as well as explained how important details are in science at the top of her work. Specific comments followed throughout her work. In her prediction, I encouraged her to include a “why” or “because” to elevate the prediction and increase her knowledge of what will be required in a lab report in the future. I also commented, “yes! High air pressure would mean molecules are close together!” on her paper to further solidify her understanding of the concept high air pressure. I also encouraged her to engage more with the content by asking her where else air pressure could be applicable.


Student 2 is very bright and often grasps concepts quickly. She consistently follows the directions and adds many details to her work. She also is reflective and corrects mistakes that she makes. On this assignment Student 2’s strengths include her attention to detail, and her ability to correct her mistakes and understand why she made them. Another one of her strengths is that she was able to pull out and retain the key concept of “high pressure air moves to low pressure air,” which she wrote on the back of her worksheet. Similarly to Student 1, Student 2 could have added more detail to her answers to make them more complete.

My comments for Student 2 encourage her to continue to add detail to her answers as well as help guide her to a correct understanding of air pressure and what the molecules of air would look like in a high-pressure area and a low-pressure area. By where she made her error, I wrote, “it looks like you have switched these,” and underneath, “what does “condensed” mean? If air is more dense, what would you expect it do? Where could you find this?” By asking these questions, Student 2 was able to discover where she made her error and correct it on the back of the page. Additionally, I connected her description of what she saw to previous classwork. These comments allowed for Student 2 to be validated in her good work and provided prompts for her to discover how she could improve for next time and correct her misunderstanding.


Student 3’s strength is his connection he was able to make to the real world by pointing out that his circuit had wind. However, he needs to be able to show his thought process in writing. Student 3’s biggest need is to complete the lab by reading all instructions.

My comments to Student 3 intend to build his confidence in his knowledge and help him understand how to complete the worksheet while exposing what misconceptions he may have. For example, I circled his connection to wind and wrote, “yes! This is key!” to highlight the connection he was able to make. I also asked that he make sure he listed all his materials and use words as well as pictures to describe what happened in his exploration. It was difficult to assess Student 3’s conceptual understanding of the material until he resubmitted his worksheet, which made it more difficult to give feedback regarding the first learning target: identifying areas of high and low pressure.

Overall, by showing the rubric, marking students answers with a check or “x,” and adding comments and questions to their worksheets highlighted student needs and strengths. All focus students made progress towards the learning targets and my





feedback will help guide them throughout the lesson sequence. ]

d. How will you support students to apply the feedback to guide improvement, either within the learning segment or at a later time?

[ Based on the information I gained by assessing the three focus students, my goal is to guide these students to make general improvements in their science writing as well as solidify the key concepts from this unit, as they will continue to be important for the remainder of the year. I can follow up with each student individually during inquiry-based activities, labs, and class work time. During this time I can assess their content knowledge as well as their general science writing and procedural skills. Students will have many opportunities to use the feedback given to them to guide their learning in future labs in the lesson sequence. Additionally, future assignments will refer back to concepts explored in this lab so students will have the opportunity to build on their knowledge in relation to new information. For students struggling, coming in during tutorial for extra practice provides a way for them to stay caught up with the class while gaining additional 1 on 1 support.

For Student 1, I will continue to check in briefly during activities to continue to push her to include more detail in her answers. I also will see if she would like to work to help some of the struggling students in the class. By assisting others, she will be forced to use more detail in her responses and be able to go more in depth. This would increase her engagement as well as help other students in the class. I can also try to provide Student 1 with more challenges by asking her to apply what she is learning about to the world around her. By increasing hypothetical and realistic questions, Student 1 will continue to be challenged and engaged in the class.

Student 2 often understands main concepts quickly but can confuse them when trying to apply them. I will encourage Student 2 to write out key concepts and have them available to consult (in her notes) during class activities. Like Student 1, Student 2 has done well in the class and could be challenged more. I will continue to push her to add more detail to her assignments and will also have theoretical questions to ask her so that she must apply her knowledge. This well keep her more engaged and challenge her in the class. By asking more questions, Student 2 will have more opportunity to practice her content knowledge and transfer it into her long-term memory.

For Student 3, I plan on checking in with him early and often throughout class work time, both in labs and during activities to ensure that he has carefully read the instructions and completes what is required of him. This will not only help him in science, but builds good habits for his education in general. I also will provide him with questions to better scaffold assignments so that he is able to take smaller steps towards understanding. I can also have Student 3 give more verbal answers and then have him work on transferring those answers to paper. Since Student 3 does not give very detailed answers on paper, this could increase the amount of detail he provides. I would also like for Student 3 to apply some of the information he has learned to an interest outside of class that he could present on. Student 3 is not the most confident student, and by giving him opportunities to teach his peers, it could raise his confidence and help him better complete his assignments. ]

3. Evidence of Language Understanding and Use - OMIT





When responding to the prompt below, use concrete examples from the video clips (using time-stamp references) and/or student work samples as evidence. Evidence from the clips may focus on one or more students.

a. Explain and provide evidence for the extent to which your students were able to use or struggled to use language (selected function, vocabulary and/or symbols, and additional identified language demands from Task 1) to develop content understandings.

[ ]

4. Using Assessment to Inform Instructiona. Based on your analysis of student learning presented in prompts 1b–d, describe next

steps for instruction to impact student learning

for the whole class

for the 3 focus students and other individuals/groups with specific needs

[ As a whole, the assessments from the focus students showed me that I need to be clearer in my written expectations for students. To increase detail for all students, I will use more scaffolding questions so that each student is able to fully express what they know. This will also allow them to more fully engage their prior knowledge when completing an assessment. Additionally, emphasizing procedures throughout the class would help students produce more quality work.

Individually, I plan on finding ways that Students 1 and 2 can teach the class or small groups. This would require them to go into more depth and have details to offer their fellow students. It would also help them to commit some of the content to memory. For Student 3, I plan on including more oral assessments. For him and other students that struggle with writing, having oral assessments may be more beneficial for them because they can express their ideas more freely. This would also help me better gauge their understanding of the material.

I anticipate that there will be more labs that involve concepts that can be confusing to students. To better prepare students, and especially students that fall into the subset of students that struggle with writing, I can design worksheets that have more questions with simpler answers that provide more of a guide for students to follow. To provide appropriate challenge for students, I may want to have two versions of the worksheet so that I can appropriately challenge students similar to Student 1 and Student 3.

Finally, I will continue to give detailed, specific feedback both orally and written to all

Y

ou may provide evidence of students’ language use from ONE, TWO, OR ALL

THREE of the following sources:

1. Use video clips from Task 2 and provide time-stamp references for language use.

2. Submit an additional video file named “Language Use” of no more than 5 minutes in length and provide time-stamp references for student language use (this can be footage of one or more students’ language use). Submit the clip in Task 3, Part B.

Consider the variety of learners in your class who may require different

strategies/support (e.g., students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners, struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students needing greater support or challenge).

















students. This way they will be able to track their progress throughout each class period and the semester. It will also help reiterate any areas of strength and areas that students need to work on. ]

b. Explain how these next steps follow from your analysis of student learning and their self- reflections. Support your explanation with principles from research and/or theory.

[ Since there was a wide range of success on this assignment, it is clear that different students have different needs and not all those needs were met. I believe all students could benefit from additional scaffolding. This would increase their ability to add more detail to their scientific writing as well as make more connections. Additionally, scaffolding allows for struggling students, such as Student 3, to feel more successful. This confidence can transfer through to other assignments (Pressley & McCormick, 2007). Self-efficacy can be enhanced through smaller successes. By scaffolding assignments more, students will be able to see their small successes more clearly. If students such as Student 3 continue to see that they “can’t” perform well, they will no longer try to do well (Pressley & McCormick, 2007). To combat this, specific feedback highlighting both strengths and areas of growth as well as providing more scaffolding should be included in my instruction.

In addition to adding scaffolding, increased differentiation can lead to increased student learning. For Students 1 and 2, this could mean teaching materials to their classmates. According to Edgar Dale’s Cone of Experience, teaching is cognitively more difficult than responding to questions. As a result, those teaching the content have a better understanding of it and are more likely to remember it at a later date. Additionally, inquiry based experiences allow for students to remember the content much better than if they were to just read the information in their textbook. This kind of differentiation will be critical for my students on 504 plans that have a difficult time concentrating and processing written work. The key here will be to ensure that each student is working in his or her zone of proximal development. For this to happen, I need to understand where my students are in terms of confidence and ability, and be able to guide them appropriately so they struggle to accomplish achievable goals (Pressley & McCormick, 2007).

References

Next Generation Science Standards. (2013). Next generation science standards. Retrieved October 8, 2014, from http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/ngss/files/NGSS%20Combined%20Topics%2011.8.13.pdf

Pressley, M. & McCormick, C. B. (2007). Child and adolescent development for educators. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.]





Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1Student 1









Student 2









Student 3









Colliding Air Masses Rubric:

0 points 0.5 points 1 point

Materials Used

1 or fewer items listed 2-3 items listed 4 or more items listed

Prediction Missing prediction Prediction is there but unrelated to the experiment.

Prediction is written down and related to the experiment.

Air molecules diagram

Missing and/or not correctly drawn.

Attempt was made at drawing the air molecules.

The diagram correctly shows the difference between the air over the ice and candle.

Final explanation Missing and/or incorrect

The explanation consists of a correct diagram or a written explanation

The explanation consists of both a correct diagram and written explanation.

Documents

hartmanneblog.files.wordpress.com€¦ · Web view) by typing your responses within the brackets following each prompt. Do not delete or alter the prompts. Commentary pages exceeding